What Audrey Hepburn's Son Had To Say About Ivanka Trump's Controversial Inauguration Gown

Ivanka Trump has been under a fashion microscope this week, making widely photographed appearances at all of her father's inauguration festivities in January 2025. From her bizarre attempt to channel Kate Middleton being royally disappointing, to criticism over her custom Oscar de la Renta pre-inauguration gown, things could have gone better for the first daughter. In perhaps her most controversial wardrobe choice of the day, the American businesswoman went with a replica of a Hubert de Givenchy gown worn by beloved actor Audrey Hepburn. The inspiration, a white strapless dress complete with black floral motifs, designed especially for the 1954 film "Sabrina," is one of Hepburn's most iconic looks. Ivanka's custom Givenchy gown was so spot-on to the original that everyone noticed the tribute right away, including the late actor's son Sean Hepburn Ferrer.

"It is no wonder that, growing up in a family which knew our mother as a household name, [Ivanka] chose to draw inspiration from her, to seek the ultimate elegance and class reference, for an occasion such as this one — the inauguration and the 32nd anniversary of our mother's passing and, most of all, Martin Luther King's day," Ferrer told the Daily Mail. He went on to acknowledge the ties between the Trump family and his own, pointing to the fact that Marla Ann Maples, former wife of President Trump and former stepmother to Ivanka, was a member of the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund advisory board in the 1990s.

"Audrey Hepburn has long been a personal inspiration to Ivanka," a White House representative said (via Vogue). However, while the first daughter may feel a connection to Hepburn, her homage caused swift backlash among the "Roman Holiday" star's fans, giving her son no choice but to acknowledge the reason why.

Audrey Hepburn wasn't just a Hollywood leading lady — she was a celebrated humanitarian and her work as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF is the reason her youngest son Luca Dotti has described her as a "badass." Many Hepburn's fans have expressed rage over Ivanka Trump dressing in her image, claiming the current administration stands for everything the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" star was against.

"I'm a big Audrey fan and this is 100 percent insulting to her memory," read one scathing Reddit comment (via Daily Mail). "You don't get to emulate a woman who was personally and profoundly impacted by Nazi Germany on the same day your father pardons neo-Nazis from January 6th ... Their stupidity and ignorance never cease to amaze me," another commenter chimed in (via MSN), referencing how Hepburn fought the Nazis as a member of the Dutch resistance. 

Although Sean Hepburn Ferrer first pointed to familial connections with the Trumps, he did reveal that he believed his mother would have been more in support of Marianne Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington who pleaded with Donald Trump to show compassion to immigrants and the LGBTQ community during the inaugural prayer service. "[She] fought on behalf of the disenfranchised children worldwide regardless of the ideological environment in which they were born," Ferrer said of his late mother to the Daily Mail. In a telling move, the president later slammed the sermon in question, demanding an apology from Budde. "She and her church owe the public an apology!" the President posted on Truth Social. Fans are left wondering how Hepburn would really feel about being visually represented at the recent inauguration, with many remaining convinced she would have been less than pleased.